Keep Hope Alive

"Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all.." ~ Emily Dickinson

There is a bittersweet quality that permeates the air in September. In the northern hemisphere, we say our reluctant goodbyes to summer. When September rolls around there is something in our early programming that kicks in. We gear up for all of the activities associated with fall. Kids return to school and we all begin to pick up the pace.

We never really do finish school while we are alive on this planet. We continue to learn life lessons and hopefully grow through all of our experiences. Much of our earlier training at home and school prepares us to face life as warriors or worriers. The good news is that we can learn to become more resilient if we are willing to do our "hope" work. That's right. That wasn't a typo. I meant "hope" work. Too many of us have been basing our lives for far too long on what is reasonable and evident rather than on faith and belief.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I refer to faith, I mean that which is unseen, unproven and is in the realm of the mysterious. Faith requires our active belief. There may be things you are experiencing in your life right now that seem impossible to overcome. Hope is that expectation that the drought in your business, your finances, your relationships, your health could all change in an instant. Don't be deceived by the evidence to the contrary. Hope is what will expand your thinking and challenge your beliefs about what is possible.

According to Greek Mythology, the gods gave Pandora a beautiful box with instructions to never open it. Pandora's curiosity was stronger than her will and she couldn't resist opening it. Once opened, all of the ills of the world came flying out of the box. No one has ever been able to contain them again. However, at the bottom of the box, almost overlooked, was Hope.

Who would have believed that 309 people could survive a burning plane crash last month in Toronto, Canada? Everyone called it a miracle. I also believe it was evidence that Hope is alive.

You can look at the devastation that took place along the Gulf Coast and only see suffering or, you can look again, and see that Hope is alive there, too.

Nancy D. Bishop is a Life Coach, writer and speaker. She coaches women in midlife transitions who want to live more authentically. She publishes a monthly newsletter. For more information on her coaching programs visit http://www.yourlifeyourway.com

In The News:
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table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/388695_fuel21q.htmlcid=1272678800ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNGoBy2O2bBIp2KtK9hEXv4w3w1moAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=GBkXt4icemIJimgurl=seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/20081121/450wh_fueldirector21.jpg width=80 height=53 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Seattle Post Intelligencer/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/388695_fuel21q.htmlcid=1272678800ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNGoBy2O2bBIp2KtK9hEXv4w3w1moAPractical and binspirational/b, #39;Fuel#39; faces the facts of the energy b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSeattle Post Intelligencernbsp;-/font nobrNov 20, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By SEAN AXMAKER The rallying cry of director/activist Joshua Tickell#39;s quot;Fuelquot; is not as catchy as quot;Save the cheerleader, save the world,quot; but it is b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i1ohFbSlRrJcUlcTDTW-hS6MU-9wcid=0ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNEdytvEKfPn9HKs2JbSus01fqywFQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=YtQkv_kpqmkJimgurl=www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5h2DDX6WM29acKMC5hD5rT-bDGMwg width=57 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2AFP/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i1ohFbSlRrJcUlcTDTW-hS6MU-9wcid=0ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNEdytvEKfPn9HKs2JbSus01fqywFQ45 years on, JFK killing haunts Secret Service protecting Obama/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAFPnbsp;-/font nobr13 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;He is binspirational/b, he is an historic figure, he is the first African-American president; but there is also -- because of that potential for stirring up b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/11/a_look_at_the_top_10_inspirati.htmlcid=1272456151ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNFHHzHck8n76g3LJUagim8o0V3QWwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=vu3u2hnmd9EJimgurl=blog.lehighvalleylive.com/movies_impact/2008/11/large_Titans.jpg width=80 height=52 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The Express Times - LehighValleyLive.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/11/a_look_at_the_top_10_inspirati.htmlcid=1272456151ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNFHHzHck8n76g3LJUagim8o0V3QWwA look at the top 10 binspirational/b sports movies/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Express Times - LehighValleyLive.com,nbsp;PAnbsp;-/font nobrNov 19, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1It#39;s one of the top ten binspirational/b sports movies of all time. Not so long ago I came across something on the Beliefnet.com Web site about binspirational/b b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/entertainment/index.ssf%3F/base/living-0/1227157523319260.xml%26coll%3D3cid=1272456151ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNGdUpVvOGrTo2NxsilNmXVQ8RnxsQSingling out some binspirational/b sports movies, from #39;Titans#39; and b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Express Times - LehighValleyLive.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272456151hl=ennobrall 2 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
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table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2008/nov/21/3-inspirational-books-in-time-for-holidays/cid=0ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNFoA-Jm56vE59xp1ZmEOloRjy7geQ3 binspirational/b books in time for holidays/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSan Angelo Standard Times,nbsp;txnbsp;-/font nobrNov 20, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Both are billed as binspirational/b gift books for all ages, especially teens and young adults, and both are filled with upbeat quotations from a variety of b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2008/11/22/inspirational-school-sports-hall-gets-the-go-ahead-64375-22315166/cid=0ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNGrp-Mdd0x5ZNXlKCKI2kNIkz48ng‘bInspirational/b’ school sports hall gets the go-ahead/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fLiverpool Daily Post,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrNov 21, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1MERCHANT Taylors’ School in Crosby will soon boast an “binspirational/b, light, bright and welcoming” new sports hall, after Sefton Council granted planning b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1088576/Inspirational-cancer-sufferer-raised-1-75m-charity-left-just-19-000-will.htmlcid=1273444680ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNGZqePWf67khNIQnMWZ6LnRKfPBZgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=v2DqpVn1wbkJimgurl=i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/11/22/article-1088576-0098B41D000004B0-369_468x286.jpg width=80 height=49 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Daily Mail/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1088576/Inspirational-cancer-sufferer-raised-1-75m-charity-left-just-19-000-will.htmlcid=1273444680ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNGZqePWf67khNIQnMWZ6LnRKfPBZgbInspirational/b cancer sufferer who raised £1.75m for charity left b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDaily Mail,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr18 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Mail On Sunday Reporter Most of the money goes to her husband Mike, with future earnings from her two books going to her children Suzanne, 22, Rebecca, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-11232008-1626401.htmlcid=0ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNFE5Fp3iL7_ayTJAYWe_0BE0uDJoQGot a story to tell?/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fphillyBurbs.com,nbsp;PAnbsp;-/font nobr1 hour ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1But do you have a great story, an binspirational/b story, a hilarious, bizarre or unbelievable story? The kind of story that, when you tell your friends, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-11-05-voa68.cfmcid=1267202318ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNHvArAhsJDYQ_6lCjlBTz3EE1Rtbgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=PLNdundxzegJimgurl=www.voanews.com/english/images/AP_Rice_on_Obama_05NOV08.jpg width=77 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Voice of America/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gEZDGk7Pl-oafbXDJAF1GY2yZU6gcid=1267202318ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNFFBj_LG1d3PuHERmEwBkRuiMfaAgAs proud African American, Rice calls Obama #39;binspirational/b#39;/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAFPnbsp;-/font nobrNov 5, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday called President-elect Barack Obama quot;binspirational/b,quot; saying his election marked quot;an b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DbtFoHq6ttOAcid=1267202318ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNGlS3xYgAaFNWyZt85u24hMPXRY2QVideo: Rice Congratulates Obama on Victory/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAssociatedPress/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/btFoHq6ttOA/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/btFoHq6ttOAtype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx%3FID%3D90eba6fb-233b-4484-9009-bcf858354e7bcid=1267202318ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNEss-hN6q3V9N8OuDbJ_OgdGRmKsgRice calls Obama quot;binspirational/bquot;, promises smooth transition/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrHindustan Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24610104-12377,00.htmlcid=1267202318ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNE10dmdl1EwfmxMUc_n4M_1xzeGjQRice hails #39;binspirational/b#39; Obama/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Australian/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/05/america/NA-US-Elections-Rice.phpcid=1267202318ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNFsb0ybHVlpt95NWzyrn36Yd93TwgnobrInternational Herald Tribune/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6040429/Bush-praises-Obama-win-pledges-smooth-handovercid=1267202318ei=1IIpScPhEJCA7QOxh8BHusg=AFQjCNFwtuVCK7jeWEw3Ajv6wFBOg3WKawnobrRadio Netherlands/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1267202318hl=ennobrall 321 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
inspirational - Google News

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